Shivamogga: Rehearsals for the elephant contingent of the Shivamogga Dasara celebrations began Friday, with lead elephants Sagar, Bahadur and Somanna completing their inaugural trial walk from the historic Shivappa Nayaka Palace to Allama Prabhu Ground.The step-by-step training, organised ahead of the Dasara procession on Vijayadashami, which is on Oct 21, aims to ensure the elephants remain calm, disciplined, and accustomed to large crowds, traffic, and urban surroundings.As the contingent moved from the palace premises through prominent city thoroughfares, it drew large crowds of enthusiastic onlookers, filling the streets with festive fervour.Stringent security arrangements and police escorts were deployed along the rehearsal route to ensure the safety of the public and the elephants, and to manage traffic and crowd movement.Jointly coordinated by forest department and Dasara festival committee, training sessions will continue in the coming days, with priority on the animals’ health, wellness and readiness.
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